On Friday, Luau preparation went to full speed. The morning started off with a blessing of the imu. (For non-locals, an imu is a pit where kalua pork is cooked, wrapped in banana & tee leaves, by hot rocks.) Some time in the last two decades, Punahou had built a permanent concrete imu pit - imagine my surprise! As you might expect, there is a huge amount of work to prepare enough pork for an expected 2,000 or more reunion luau guests. The imu team was comprised of '82 & '83 grads, Academy volunteers, emeritus chefs, kids and others. First the pit was partly filled with rocks that are heated by a fire. Eventually, the pork, leaves, and banana tree trunks were placed on the rocks, then the whole lot was covered with a layer of top soil to keep the heat in and cook the pork overnight. Mmmmmmm.
While the imu crew was working, the decorations committee was hard at work too. Arrangements were gathered, place settings were made, bamboo canes were tied to the tent poles, and a good time was had by all.
During all of this fun, I took some time to wander from Upper Field down to Lower Field, taking pictures of the Academy as it is today. It doesn't feel like it has been 24 years since I was a senior, anxious to leave the confines of the Academy and take on the world. I won't go so far as to say that the world won, but those days don't seem to bad in hindsight. I'd say that I turned out OK, despite the bleak predictions from the faculty & administration. My guess is that they expected me to be a homeless IV drug abuser by now.
